Topic: The Movie Thread

@nessisonett Hmm, if that's the case, then that is indeed highly unfortunate. Having judged by the increasing number of self-published works, along with what I thought was a solid number of specialist indie publishers, I actually thought that it has never been easier for an author to get their work out in front of eyeballs (marketing notwithstanding), but it would be very sad if that was not the case. Again, it's not an area I follow too closely, as I am simply not the intellectual type, and while I may dip my toe in intellectual waters on occasion, it is not something I actively seek out. Would never look down my nose at anyone who does, however.

@FuriousMachine That’s part of the problem, it’s both never been easier to get your work out there, and never been harder to actually get eyes on it.

@nessisonett Hmm, right... that's where I don't really follow, though. These things have never been of "mass appeal", have they? In my memory, it's only been for "interested parties" and consumed and discussed primarily in intellectual circuits and academia, being no more, nor less, available now than they've ever been? I'm asking, because I sincerely don't know, and it's hard for me to judge as I don't really know what kinds of movies or books that qualify.

Either way, as you can tell, I'm not the right person for this discussion, but it is sad that the types of movies and books you like are becoming less available to you and others

@FuriousMachine Dissemination of information is generally easier with advances in technology but the world is incredibly loud. If something great came along 50 years ago then it would be discussed endlessly and passed around literary circles. These days, you both have to write a very good book and have a hell of a marketing team for it to even reach those people, never mind general public, because there’s a million things fighting for attention and our attention spans are very short. It’s just a different world, but part of the issue is that requiring proper publishers eliminates more off-piste authors as 1) publishers hate risk and 2) far too many authors now are celebrities with ghost writers making murder mysteries or children’s books. Should really just blame Richard Osman for all this.

Those patiently waiting for a physical Godzilla Minus One release, outside of the Japanese release and the upcoming US release (which will be the same as the Japanese, only with English menus and English subs for the movie only, no subs for the extras), take heart:

The Digital Bits reported this yesterday:

I’ve confirmed that the new US 4-disc Godzilla Minus One: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Deluxe Collector’s Edition from Toho is just the latest of multiple planned physical media releases of the film. More editions are apparently “coming soon” in the months ahead. So expect wide-release versions eventually, and probably international SKUs as well. That’s definitely good news for fans around the world, and there are definitely a lot of you out there!

@FuriousMachine I saw that the other week on Netflix, and was really impressed by it.

I preferred it to the western films, especially the human side of the story, which I've always thought was lacking in the Hollywood movies.

I watched the OG dub, as that had an Atmos soundtrack rather than a 5.1 for the English dub.

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, it's an excellent movie and a polar opposite of the Hollywood spectacles (for the record, I'm a fan of those, too). I was lucky to catch it on the big screen here last year and got to experience that lovely Atmos mix in all its glory
I didn't even know there was an English dub for it; not sure if that is available on the US 4K release I mentioned, but I don't think too many die-hard fans care all that much about anything but the original dub. I know I don't
I do hope it releases in Europe with subbed extras, though, as there's an entire disc full of them.

Something a little bit on the side: Anyone on here familiar with the movie theatres in Edinburgh and can point me in the direction of the best one for blockbuster spectacles (Huge screen, excellent sound system)?
Seems I'll be in Edinburgh around when Alien: Romulus drops and I'm considering watching it when I'm there.

@FuriousMachine And made for a 10th of the budget too!

The English dub has actually impressed some people apparently. For live action I usually go for the original dub, but for animation I go for the English version.

I got suckered in by Prime Day and ordered a bunch of 4Ks (since most were only around $10 a pop, save one or two).

• 1917
• Back to the Future trilogy
• Braveheart
• Dune: Part 1
• Kong: Skull Island
• Godzilla (2014)
• Godzilla: KotM
• Godzilla vs Kong
• Schindler's List
• Zach Snyder's Justice League

Not sure when I'm going to have the time to watch all of it though. I've picked up well over a dozen standard Blu-Rays thrifting over the last month that I'm not even close to getting through as well, lol.

Also just remembered I have the "Criterion" Risky Business 4K on pre-order that releases next week as well.

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, same here, but it depends a little bit on what the original language is when it comes to animation. If it is Japanese, I will probably go with that, otherwise I'll go English.

Anybody who remembers enjoying the Beverley Hills Cop movies back in the 80s (Those as old as me!) should probably give the new Axel F movie a watch. I found it surprisingly enjoyable and exactly what I needed to see last night.

Just got back from a 25th anniversary screening of The Matrix in a fairly packed theatre and it was predictably epic!
It's not that long ago that I revisited the movie, so that it held up really well was known, but it was really fun seeing it with loads of people, some my age and older and quite a few young'uns that probably weren't born when it first came out and the atmosphere was electric (which is rare for us Norwegians; we are typically a very reserved lot).
Also fun that it was the same theatre I saw it in originally back in '99 (albeit upgraded and refurbished).

@Malaise Yeah, it can be a magical thing. There's always the chance that you get "big children" in there who thinks it's more fun being disruptive rather than watch the movie, but when you get an enthusiastic crowd clearly enjoying the movie with you, like I did yesterday, you almost feel a kinship with the other patrons, and that is truly an enjoyable thing (even for a misanthrope like me )

@Malaise yeah, seems there are quite a few of us out there these days. Could be that I'm just turning into a grumpy old curmudgeon or maybe it's the times we're living in, but my faith in humanity has never been lower. I like to say that I "hate people, but can learn to like individuals"
If it turns out that it is indeed the current state of affairs across the globe producing more and more misanthropes, we should start a club! We could have meetings and loathe each others company!

Saw Twisters in Imax last night. It wasn't one I was super excited for, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Pretty good summer popcorn flick.

I would have liked for it to have had some sort of deeper connection to the original Twister though, as it pretty much had nothing to do with it outside of the theme. The new gen did have an old Dorothy device in like the first 10 minutes of the film, but it's not explained where they got it (no one seems to be descended from the OG cast), and it never appears again after the fact.

Otherwise, here are the movies I watched last weekend:

Ocean Waves (Blu-Ray) - Ghibli film that breaks away from their typical fantastical mold in favor of a more grounded drama/romance centered around a group of friends in high school. Could be a tad slow at times, but I actually really enjoyed it.

V for Vendetta (Blu-Ray) - Got this one thrifting. In spite of the effect it's had on pop culture, I actually hadn't seen it until now. It was pretty solid. Can't say it's something I'll be itching to watch again any time soon, but it was definitely an interesting watch.

Wonder Woman (Blu-Ray) - Another thrifting get, and another one (believe it or not) I haven't seen in full until now. Pretty excellent all around, from the effectively immersive world design to the action. I think it kinda mishandled it's big bad, but otherwise is pretty flawless. It's kinda wild how many times DC pretty much nailed that first film (MoS, WW, Shazam!, Aquaman), only to somehow completely fumble the followups.

So Arrow Films continues to scam me out of my money with their insidious scheme of releasing Limited Editions of movies I simply must have. Come Halloween-time, Michael Dougherty's excellent little anthology Trick 'R' Treat gets a deluxe release. I will cry and I will gripe, but deep inside I am happy

@FuriousMachine Arrow are great (the odd faulty disc print run aside). They've got an extras filled limited edition of "The Exorcist 2" coming out on blu-ray at Halloween. It's one of those movies that's absolutely fascinating in its awfulness and I'll be glad to be rid of the WB DVD (in its hated cardboard snapcase) that I've had since time immemorial. The transfer on that disc is almost as poor as the movie itself.

@LN78 They're enablers, that's what they are
But, yeah, another great thing about them is that, in addition to their discs having reasonable prices, they offer quite affordable shipping, in stark contrast to most other UK stores shipping to our shores.
So, for me, shopping at Arrow is almost never painful

@FuriousMachine Don't think it is Arrow, but the 4K of Nightmare on Elm Street is also coming soon. That is something I will be looking to add to my collection. I almost bought the box set on blu ray a few years back, but I wasn't sure on the latter films in the series.